The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for encapsulating a light source within a water-tight, robust encapsulating bulk for use, among other things, as a walk paver, wall material, message board, entertainment system, lighting device, pathway lighting, display system, driveway lighting, roadway lighting and the like.
There are many examples of conventional paving stones, commonly referred to as “pavers” used to make driveways, walkways and patios. A typical paver is a solid block of natural stone, or a cast stone-like material such as concrete or so-called “cultured stone”.
Recently, pavers have been provided that include cavities that are used to house light sources, such as filament bulbs, electroluminescent or LEDs. Typically, an illuminated paver is either connected electrically by buried wires to a low voltage power source or is a self-contained unit which may include a solar cell to charge a battery included in the cavity along with the light source. Usually, the light source is a single color, and often is comprised of a single bulb or packaged lamp. It is difficult to make an electronic device that is protected from water ingress, and often times a low voltage power source, such as 12 volts DC is used to reduce the potential for a shock hazard. It is also difficult to provide adequate structural support, in particular if the paver includes a cavity having an air gap. The cavity does not support compressive loading, so to make the paver durable enough to be driven over care must be taken to include adequate vertical support to prevent the cavity from collapsing under a load, such as an automobile. Additionally or alternatively, the paver can be dimensioned so that relatively little load has to be supported in the area of the cavity. However, in this case, the paver is limited in size. Also, an illuminated paver typically looks much different than a conventional stone paver, and may have, for example, a translucent top surface to make viewable at the top surface of the paver the light generated by the light source disposed in the cavity. The typical illuminated paver is a relatively small, single color, single light source device that looks considerably different than the surround stone materials from which a driveway, walkway or patio are constructed. The single light source of a conventional paver is limited in its ability to convey a message or provide enhanced entertainment and lighting features. Accordingly, there is a need for a strong, durable, waterproof illuminated paver that includes an array of individually addressable light sources, and that has the aesthetic appearance of a conventional stone material.
There are other applications for a strong, durable, waterproof illuminated building material that includes a light source, and that has the aesthetic appearance of a conventional stone material. For example, wall, signage, monument, fountain, swimming pool, and other structural and/or information conveying applications exist where a light source that replicates, simulates or approximates the outward appearance of a conventional stone, wood, other building materials, and other natural or man-made objects.
Also, detectable warning pavers are often desired and may be a governmentally imposed requirement where a pedestrian crossing blends with the vehicular road, for example, without a railing or a curb. Under the ADA or Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991, such detectable warnings need to mark particular common intersections of vehicle traffic and pedestrian, as well as certain other hazardous environments. In accordance with the Draft Guidelines for Accessible Public Rights-of-Way, Jun. 14, 2002, “Detectable warnings shall consist of a surface of truncated domes aligned in a square grid pattern . . . ” Truncated domes in a detectable warning surface are to have a base diameter of 0.9 in (23 mm) minimum to 1.4 inches (36 mm) maximum, a top diameter of 50% of the base diameter minimum to 65% of the base diameter maximum, and a height of 0.2 in (5 mm). Truncated domes in a detectable warning surface are to have a center-to-center spacing of 1.6 inches (41 mm) minimum and 2.4 inches (61 mm) maximum and a base-to-base spacing of 0.65 inches (16 mm) minimum, measured between the most adjacent domes on square grid. Detectable warning surfaces shall contrast visually with adjoining surfaces, either light-on-dark or dark-on-light. However, such conventional detectable warning surfaces provide no lighting, and also no way to convey messages, such as scrolling sign messages indicating ingress and egress direction, warning, timing (for example, for the next available train), and other information, entertainment or safety lighted indications.